2017 Health and Wellbeing Forecast

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With each new year comes some exciting and sometimes surprising tips and new ways of nourishing ourselves for optimal wellbeing – and 2017 is no different! Here is a sneak peek at my top health and wellness predictions to keep on your radar:

Back to our roots

More and more people are fed up with diet trends and restrictions – so rather than trying to figure out what not to eat, think about it differently and focus more on what to eat and who to support. Aim for a diet of all natural chemical free foods that our great grandparents used to eat, and try to support local chemical-free farming.

Skin health

As a society, we are obsessed with cleaning our skin daily. But what we don’t realise with all the chemicals in today’s products, we are stripping away our skin’s natural bacteria’s and microbes. Research is revealing that much of the bacteria within us is linked to healthy, functional systems. We are seeing an increased interest in probiotics and other products that improve health from within the body, and greater attention needs to be paid to good bacteria on the skin that is harmed by anti-bacterial products.

Adaptogens

These are herbal plants that help you deal with stress factors in your life, and we will see these herbs become essential parts of our lives. They help balance, restore and protect the body, helping you respond to any influence or stressor, normalising your physiological functions. One of my favourite adaptogens is Holy Basil aka Tulsi – it comes in a tea form, and helps you fight fatigue and stress, boost your immune system, and regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and hormone levels.

Gut health

Still big on the health scene in 2017! This time the focus will not only be on the gut but also mouth and skin health. All these are very closely linked to our immune system, so the bottom line is eat foods rich in probiotics and don’t go crazy on all those antibacterial soaps and sprays (not only on your skin but also in your home too!).

Plant-based diet

Salads and veggies will continue to be the core of a well-balanced diet.

Food waste

This is the topic of most wellbeing conversations now and how we can be sustainable. Australians throw out approximately 345kg of food waste per household per year, which is the same weight as 3 average sized fridges! This is something to really think about – not only that we waste foods and also our money, but we also waste the energy and water that it took to produce these products and needless to say the farmers’ hard work and hours that were put into all of this produce.

My top 3 tips to reduce food waste:

Always check what is in your fridge and pantry before you go shopping

Cook less – as a nation we tend to overcook and over eat because it is rude not to eat everything on the plate right? Think of your wallet and your waistline!

Use up your leftovers – leftovers taste amazing the next day – salads or veggies can be used in a frittata, meat on salads for your office lunch, etc.